“fall out” by Lauren Frausto like the mushroom cloudthat follows mankinds’ greatest foibleall the rouge neutronsthe atomic sun abomination delicate soot piles to the smudge horizonclouds for the manic frolic of dirty cherubsor a confused mutant thingthat was supposed to be an insect i am the concave ash centerthe ground-down Read more…
“Hard Waitress” by Scott Hutchison Haze Madison works the unpainted cinderblock bar out on the lostwestern edge of town. Broken-windowed shells of two gas stations, a small-time propane distributor and a chain-link fence companyall relinquish room for parking. Potholed gravel lots; the damned thirstypush a thick metal-clad door into the Read more…
“My Mother Tries to Teach Me about Cars” by Hannah Dow If a man offers to help youcarry something heavy to your carflex your biceps and say no thanks. If a man pulls up next to you in his carand gives you a thumbs-upa holler a compliment a gruntflip Read more…
“My Two Cents” by David Rock Here is a grain of salt, a pocket full of posies, ashes,crumbs for retracing our steps (if only we could), or better:pebbles immune to hyperactive birds: gravel, no—gravitas to keep us on the groundin winds of change. This climate has served us well for Read more…
“Dawn and Dead Cherries” by Francine Witte Smacks of light as pieces of morningassemble. Dawn turns it all Pangea. In a nearby field, the cherry trees go dizzy with their own sweet juice,get drunk on their own bloodstream. The children are out. Scooping up what falls to the ground. Soon Read more…
“As Far As I’m Concerned” by Amanda Gaines Princess Di looked best in bicycle shorts, carnations are to prom as shame is to sex, & everything tastes better with garlic. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no pointin flightless birds or handshakes or tissues:pain best served obvious. As far as Read more…
“fence“ by Carol Lynne Knight somewhere I have never been,you have gone —the eerie cave of dreamers set free to roam the mind’s nether lands. my test diagramsshow flames leapingfrom my forehead —my interior territories scorched,ironed flat, with flashing lights& no trespassing signs.even with a passport, I muststand at the Read more…
“Falling in the Direction of Up” by Kurt Luchs Are birds jealous of angelsbecause they can fly in realms beyond the physical?Are angels jealous of birdsbecause they can fly without having to carry God?Humans are jealous of both, I think,the angels we can’t see and can’t even begin to prove Read more…
THE LIL’ CLOUD FACTORY by Pablo Piñero Stillmann OK, so they were right: it’s not financially viable. We put an ad in the local paper, but no one has any interest in purchasing our Franco-Austrian cloud machines. Abby writes a titan of industry reminding him that clouds have cool names Read more…
“Hunger Strike” by Ashley Roach-Freiman What kind of violator are you?The world is a ridiculously human place that wounds forever. I want to be hungry ‘til I die. Can you find me a good kisser? Can you help me with this socket wrench? I want to be hungry forever.We will Read more…